The third meeting of the 2016 WSK Super Master Series at Muro Leccese has posed new challenges for the new Parolin Racing Kart team. The La Conca circuit has in fact had a special coating that generates a lot of grip, what is rarely found on other tracks, especially as the temperature rose quickly in sunny southern Italy . In these unusual conditions Lorenzo Camplese tested various configurations before finding a good balance. Finishing in the top 10 of KZ following a rise of 11 places in this context should be seen as an encouragement for the upcoming events calendar.
“We were well aware that the competition at La Conca would not necessarily allow us to shine as we have done since the beginning of the year,” says Alessandro Levratti, the young team manager of Parolin Racing Kart. “We expected to find new grip conditions for our team and our equipment. This allowed us to work on the versatility of our chassis and prepare for the rest of the season. This irreplaceable experiment in a race situation will bear fruit in the coming months.”
The main problem faced by all teams on a track with very high grip such as La Conca regarded the functioning of the tyres. Vega tyres suffered in KZ at Muro Leccese, under the combined action of the grip, temperature and the power of the 125 gearbox engine. Early wear and blisters dampened the enthusiasm of the top competitors. It was a first for the Parolin Racing Kart Team, founded at the beginning of the year, against very experienced teams that have collected a lot of data in the past.
The performance itself was not the main concern for Parolin. The challenge was to find the best possible set-up during the races, taking into account the constant changes of grip over the event. After great time in free practice, but an average lap time in official qualifying, the team provided Camplese with several configurations to enhance the use of the tyres. During his second heat he achieved his best performance at just 0.064 ” from the fastest lap. During the pre-pfinal, he fought in the top five before losing some speed at the end because of a tyre damaged by a blister.
The team synthesised this experience for the final and Camplese was able to rely on the consistency of his machine to gain 11 positions. His fastest time on the 16th of 20 laps of the race confirmed the decisions of the Parolin technicians.
Although such conditions will not perhaps not often recur during the season, the learning from the La Conca meeting will have the opportunity to be reinvested in the important races looming. In less than three weeks, the European Championship will begin in France on the Aunay les Bois circuit at Essay and Parolin Racing Kart Team will be there with strong ambitions.
While the WSK Super Master Series began in the cold of Castelletto, the second round saw sun on the Circuito Internazionale Napoli. A new challenge awaited the Parolin team in KZ with Lorenzo Camplese the driver on the first fast track of the season. It is clear that the performance was again excellent, among the best specialists in the discipline. The race was unfortunately cut short for Camplese, who was a victim of a collision in the Prefinal.
Despite the development work being disrupted by free practice on a wet track, Lorenzo Camplese’s Parolin / TM was immediately on the pace during the official timed practice with the second best time in the KZ category 34 thousandths from pole position. The tone was set. Always among the top five in the field, the Parolin Racing Kart driver finished the qualifying heats in a good position, 4th, before tackling the final stages with strong ambitions.
He made a very good start in Prefinal A. As fast as he is determined, Camplese went on the attack without taking too many risks at the start. He had seized 3rd position on the second lap of the race when he was pushed and spun. He was able to restart, but had to retire shortly after.
“It is a great disappointment,” admitted Lorenzo Camplese. “This kind of incident should not happen at this level of competition. Until then, the meeting confirmed our competitiveness in conditions very different from those of the first races of the year, proving the quality of the Parolin chassis on any circuit. Although I completed just four laps in the Prefinal, I was able to set the second fastest time of the race. This means the potential was there! I am even more disappointed to have been forced to retire as it jeopardises our chances in the championship. I finished up in 11th place while I was aiming for the top five. That’s racing though and we’ll keep fighting to demonstrate the quality of Parolin Racing Kart product.”
Since the beginning of the season, Parolin has been battling at the front in KZ, the highest level of international competition, among the best in the discipline. The young Racing Team from the Italian brand has produced achievements in each of its races, highlighting the quality of the Venetian factory’s products in the most spectacular way against the most experienced teams. It is a great satisfaction for Parolin Racing Kart to defend its colours in this excellent way and to support its customers in their wise choice. The adventure is just beginning, the best is yet to come!
After successful debut at Adria during the WSK Champions Cup, the Parolin Racing Kart Team continued in international competition at the first round of the WSK Super Master Series. On this occasion Lorenzo Camplese made his debut in the KZ category, for the professionals of karting. Despite extreme conditions and a shortened programme, the factory Parolin Racing Kart driver achieved extraordinary well to fight in the top three at the start of the final.
The winter weather at Castelletto did not make the task easy for the Parolin Racing Kart Team in early March. Distanced during the first free practice session, Lorenzo Camplese was back on the pace from the second session. Qualifying didn’t provide complete satisfaction with a 13th place overall but the team worked hard to enable the driver to move up significantly in Prefinal A on Sunday morning. Camplese was very close to the best in pure performance and regained six places to finish in 3rd position in the wake and on the pace of the eventual winner.
The competitiveness of Parolin Racing Kart was displayed again in the Final and Camplese immediately found himself in the fight for the top three. He then lost ground because of the intensity of the battle, before resuming the ascendancy in the final laps and finished 7th in a lively race. Lorenzo is in 7th place in the provisional championship standings among a stellar roster of confirmed champions.
“The weekend of Castelletto wasn’t easy for anyone,” confided Albino Parolin. “We are not, however, unhappy with our performance. The team is very young and we are already comparable to the greatest specialists with long experience in KZ. We must not forget that this is currently the premier class where the professionals of world karting race.
We proved that our KZ chassis was at the peak of competition, ensuring that our racing product is the same our customer base is receiving, which is one of the main objectives for the company. We have planned our development programme with the goal of being at the top for the major CIK-FIA international events and will soon meet our opponents again for the second meeting of the WSK Master Series Super at the Sarno circuit.”
At the first competition of the year, the Parolin Racing Kart team recorded good performances in KZ2 with Lorenzo Camplese, in line with its title of CIK-FIA Asia-Pacific Champion won last December in Macau. The 2016 season has started strongly for the Venetian brand as his driver took pole position in Qualifying and took a superb 5th place finish among the leaders in the category.
“After the good results achieved by our chassis last year, we decided to launch our factory team in major events in 2016,” says Albino Parolin. “I think it’s time to show the real potential of our equipment and support our worldwide dealer network. At the opening race at Adria, Lorenzo Camplese was immediately among the best. This is a very encouraging start!”
The WSK Champions Cup was run on the first weekend of February at the Adria Raceway Karting where the biggest European 125cc gearbox gathered. For the young Parolin Racing Kart factory team, the competition was very successful, in the dry and in the wet, and despite some setbacks, the overall result was more than satisfactory.
In Timed Qualifying, Lorenzo Camplese was able to place his Parolin / TM / Vega at the top of the rankings in the strong KZ2 class with 33 experienced drivers. The poleman spent a sunny day achieving 2nd and 3rd positions in the Qualifying Heats before being slowed by a small technical concern. He started on the 3rd row of the grid for the Finals.
“The start of the rain on Sunday morning didn’t enthuse me!”confided Camplese. “I’m not a big fan of these kind of conditions and I had no experience with Vega rain tyres. Fortunately, I was able to start to find my feet after a difficult warm-up.”
Indeed, Lorenzo posted the 6th time in the Prefinal and managed to finish 8th, a good result in light of his 19th fastest lap in the warm-up. Consistent and safe, the Parolin driver improved again in the Final, regaining ground up to 5th position on a slippery track, always behind a quartet of major champions.
The Parolin KZ chassis demonstrated strong qualities at the highly demanding circuit of Adria against leading competition, as the team has just been put in place and the development work is just beginning. This first result in the top five is very encouraging before the start of the WSK Super Master Series in less than a month at Castelletto. Parolin Racing Kart team will be attending 2016 major events as WSK Super Master Series, CIK-FIA KZ European & World Championships and some overseas appointments as well.